Aazeen Kirmani
In a time when American Presidential candidate Donald Trump says that he intends to ban Muslims from entering America . Not lagging much behind extremist Trump is the Islamophobia of Germany, France and China with their very uninhibited aversion to Hijab, Namaz and Masaajid respectively the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London is a big win of Love over Hatred .
Even India a historically secular nation proud of its unity in diversity has witnessed a steep rise in anti-Muslim extremism in last two years.
In the backdrop of such globally prevalent anti-
More so when his prime opponent Zac Goldsmith, a billionaire of Jewish origin had tried every trick in the book of communal politics apart from spending hefty amount on election campaign to sway voters against Khan. Even British Prime Minister David Cameron indulged in divisive racial profiling and wrote personal letter to Londoners and invoked the Modi factor to influence Hindus and Sikhs of London against Khan. He went to the extent of saying that “If Khan won,Londoners will become lab rats in a giant political experiment”.
Thank you Londoners ! You have proved that London is a City of Gentlemen.You have defeated racism, you have defeated hatred, you have defeated divisiveness, you have defeated communalsim ,and you have defeated Islamophobia.
It goes to the credit of Londoners that Goldsmith’s attempts to invoke negativity among voters on basis of Khan’s religion backfired spectacularly and Khan emerged victorious with 56.8% votes and a tally which gave him the largest personal mandate of any politician in the history of the United Kingdom.
Khan, son of an immigrant bus driver has not only become the first Muslim to be a Mayor of London but also the first Muslim Mayor of any major western city.
In his acceptance speech Khan said that London has chosen “hope over fear and unity over division.”
Londoners deserve accolades for not letting divisiveness and Islamophobia takeover its pluralistic culture.
They also deserves accolades for proving that Islamophobia is a profitless venture. Those who invest their time and ambitions in it end up defeated and humiliated.
Not only has Goldsmith lost the elections with considerable margin, his campaign has been called “disgusting” and a “dog-whistle campaign”.
While the campaign was still on Mohammed Amin, chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, which is an integral apart of the Conservative Party (Goldsmith’s party) had said “If we want to avoid the likely fate of the US Republican Party, we have to appeal to Britons of all ethnicity and of all religions and none,”
Post the declaration of election results Sadiq Khan said that Goldsmith’s campaign to beat him in the London mayoral race was “straight out of the Donald Trump play book”.
Just like Goldsmith who had called Khan’s religion a danger to London Donald Trump too is invoking Islamophobia in USA to sway voters to his side. Trump has gone as far as advocating a ban on Muslims entering America. In Trump’s own words“a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” He is also certain about implementing a system to register and tract Muslims in America while his supporters openly claim that Muslims are “a problem in this country.”
Its true that actions of fringe extremist elements falsely in name of Islam is not only problematic for any particular country but for whole humanity. They also succeed in portraying Islam and Muslims in negative light and give people like Trump and Goldsmith an opportunity to create divisiveness, hatred and bias based on existing anger.
But bias and anger against any community is a short term phenomenon which rides on a rush of adrenaline and not on reason. Once the adrenaline subsides and reason prevails people refuse to get swayed by externally enforced ideas and make sensible decisions based on long term experiences. Indeed London’s long term experience with Muslims is of peaceful co-existence, fringe elements like ISIS not withstanding. ISIS or any extremist group in any part of the world are a negligible minority explicitly shunned by the entire Muslims community.
The London mandate has clearly shown that Islamophobia will not work. Its time Donald Trump learns a lesson from the fate Zac Goldsmith has met at the hands of Londoners .
Again I would say thank you Londoners ! The whole Muslim world proud is of you.
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Aazeen Kirmani is sub editor of MuslimMirror.com
Londoners have proved to the rest of the world that Racism and hatred towards one religion will no longer be in the minds of the modern world..
This is also a lesson for the Extremist to stop violence against Innocent People around the world in the Name of Islam and Jihad…
This is a Victory of Humanity… May Allah bless Mr. Sadiq Khan and give him courage and support to work for the cause of humanity and peace..